CFO at North Florida Regional faces DUI charge after celebration

Published: Wednesday, July 3, 2013 at 2:48 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, July 3, 2013 at 2:48 p.m.

A top administrator at North Florida Regional Medical Center crashed his car and drove while impaired after celebrating the opening of a new wing at the hospital last month, according to a Gainesville Police report.

Jay St. Pierre, 46, the chief financial officer who assumed the job at NFRMC in mid-January, was arrested on a charge of DUI on June 21.

The accident occurred about 1 a.m. in the 2100 block of Southwest Second Avenue. St. Pierre was eastbound on Southwest Second Avenue and failed to negotiate the curve toward West University Avenue, the report said.

The report said St. Pierre ran over the curb, hit a utility pole, uprooted two trees and flipped onto the driver's side. The report stated that his breath smelled of alcohol, that he swayed and slurred his speech, and that he performed poorly on a field sobriety test.

St. Pierre told police he had been at a celebration for the new wing at NFRMC and went to a bar, having three drinks — two bourbons and one glass of wine, the report states.

He told police he dropped some friends off at Ballyhoo Grill and was heading home when the crash occurred. The report noted his home was in the opposite direction.

Police reported that St. Pierre was not injured but did have pain in his right thumb and hand.

St. Pierre's breath samples at the Alachua County jail registered .155 and .163, the arrest report states. In Florida, .08 is the legal standard for impairment.

St. Pierre could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon. His secretary said he was out of town on vacation.

In reaction to the DUI charge against St. Pierre, Pamela Rittenhouse, spokeswoman for NFRMC, said Wednesday afternoon: "We are aware of the situation, and we are handling it internally. He is still employed and we're reluctant to say any more because it's an active police investigation."

St. Pierre was the CFO of Parkridge Health System in Chattanooga, Tenn., before he was hired to oversee NFRMC's finances, budget and accounting.

<p>A top administrator at North Florida Regional Medical Center crashed his car and drove while impaired after celebrating the opening of a new wing at the hospital last month, according to a Gainesville Police report.</p><p>Jay St. Pierre, 46, the chief financial officer who assumed the job at NFRMC in mid-January, was arrested on a charge of DUI on June 21.</p><p>The accident occurred about 1 a.m. in the 2100 block of Southwest Second Avenue. St. Pierre was eastbound on Southwest Second Avenue and failed to negotiate the curve toward West University Avenue, the report said.</p><p>The report said St. Pierre ran over the curb, hit a utility pole, uprooted two trees and flipped onto the driver's side. The report stated that his breath smelled of alcohol, that he swayed and slurred his speech, and that he performed poorly on a field sobriety test.</p><p>St. Pierre told police he had been at a celebration for the new wing at NFRMC and went to a bar, having three drinks — two bourbons and one glass of wine, the report states.</p><p>He told police he dropped some friends off at Ballyhoo Grill and was heading home when the crash occurred. The report noted his home was in the opposite direction.</p><p>Police reported that St. Pierre was not injured but did have pain in his right thumb and hand.</p><p>St. Pierre's breath samples at the Alachua County jail registered .155 and .163, the arrest report states. In Florida, .08 is the legal standard for impairment.</p><p>St. Pierre could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon. His secretary said he was out of town on vacation.</p><p>In reaction to the DUI charge against St. Pierre, Pamela Rittenhouse, spokeswoman for NFRMC, said Wednesday afternoon: "We are aware of the situation, and we are handling it internally. He is still employed and we're reluctant to say any more because it's an active police investigation."</p><p>St. Pierre was the CFO of Parkridge Health System in Chattanooga, Tenn., before he was hired to oversee NFRMC's finances, budget and accounting.</p>